The present invention relates to a game having a portable game board of hop scotch played on an artificial surface and playing pieces.
The game of hop scotch is very old. It has been played on many types of surfaces including dirt, concrete and asphalt payments, and other artificial surfaces that are generally flat. In playing the game a player throws something that is considered a scotch. The game board has blocks or squares (e.g., 8 to 10) which the player must skip over on one leg unless the square has the scotch in it in which case it must be jumped over the first time approached. Each player tries to sequentially go from a numbered square or block to block until they get to the xe2x80x9cturn-around pointxe2x80x9d. After reaching this block, the player turns around freely and starts back to the initial start position with only one foot allowed in each block. The block having the stone laid must also be step in on the return and picked up . Once the player reaches the start point the next player will repeat the cycle. On their next chance, the same player throws the scotch into the block 2 and the player must skip over this block with the scotch. Play continues until all blocks are used. After completion of the game, i.e. all blocks having a stone in them, the first player to complete all block without violating any rules will be declared the winner. After a player has reached the end of the first cycle (all of the blocks) the first block belongs to that player. Players behind cannot step in this first block until they complete the cycle including all of the block (e.g., blocks 1-9). The game continues until all blocks belong to the player in the lead or if jumping to the correct blocks is impossible. After competitors cannot jump or reach over some block (e.g., two adjacent blocks 4 or 5) the game is over.
Playing the game of hop scotch on a portable game board is well known to the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3, 139,281 to Nicholson discloses a folding hop scotch game board which has handles to allow carrying the game board to different locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,864 to Casteel discloses a hop scotch game board is formed on an indoor outdoor carpet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,613 to Francis discloses a hop scotch game that has a housing which incorporates flashing illumination and an audio signal generator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,940 to Lucy, Jr. discloses a portable hop scotch game which is laid out on a plastic, vinyl or fabric material.
In the present invention a portable hop scotch game has playing pieces (scotches) and a game board with a single game board on one side and on the opposite side of the same board a double game is laid out. Additionally, pockets used for ballast for the game board are provided for in the corners and pockets are also provided over each numbered block for an optional inset all as will be detailed in the specification that follows hereafter.
This invention relates to a game having a game board used to play the game of hop scotch with sequentially numbered blocks and one or more throw able playing pieces or scotches.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for an improved portable game of hop scotch that may be played by one or more players at the same time.
Another object is to provide for such a game wherein ballast for the game board may be stored in pockets in the game board.